By Tom Waring
Wire Staff Writer
Legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick to encourage economic growth for small businesses passed the House last week.
One of the first bills taken up by the 114th Congress, the Promoting Job Creation and Reducing Small Business Burdens Act [H.R. 37], includes several bipartisan measures that make it easier for small and emerging businesses to access capital, reduce regulatory burdens and create new jobs.
“It is clear that smart regulations allow the private sector to innovate and create more jobs while protecting taxpayers and consumers. However, it is equally clear that one-size-fits-all regulations hurt the economy by treating small- and medium-sized companies as if they are large, multinational corporations,” Fitzpatrick said. “No Main Street small business, manufacturer, farmer or rancher caused the financial crisis. Yet they are subject to thousands of new pages of regulations that were supposedly designed for big Wall Street firms. That’s not fair.”
Prior to the vote, Fitzpatrick said it was critical for members of both parties to enter this new Congress focused on cooperation and areas of agreement and reject partisan demagoguery.
“There is a lot of talk about bipartisanship and finding ‘middle ground’ here in our nation’s capital, yet at this very moment groups on both the far left and the far right stand in the way of even incremental progress by pulling members of both parties to the extremes,” he said. “I know that if things are going to get done in this body, it will be with strong bipartisan support from principled — yet pragmatic — lawmakers willing to put politics to the side and work together for the common good. As someone who seeks out that course, I’d like to recognize those members of both parties willing to stand up and support this bill.
Fitzpatrick, a Republican, is serving his fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He represents Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, which includes all of Bucks County as well as a portion of Montgomery County.
